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Ecological Approaches for Caries Prevention and Management

Award Number: R01DE035737
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL AND CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/09/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2031

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Ecological Approaches for Caries Prevention and Management - ABSTRACT Dental caries is driven by changes in the composition and biochemical activities of oral microbial biofilms. In recent years, metagenomic studies have reinforced previous culture-based findings providing new insights into the complexities of the microbiota in health and disease. Over the past several decades, studies from our groups and others have uncovered many of the cariogenic traits of Streptococcus mutans, a major pathobiont contributing to the etiology of dental caries. However, how S. mutans and other caries-associated microorganisms (CAMs) interact with one another in cariogenic communities, and the mechanisms by which certain beneficial commensal bacteria prevent the establishment of or disrupt cariogenic biofilms are still poorly understood. Collectively, these gaps in knowledge are hindering progress on caries risk assessment, prevention and treatment. This application embraces the contemporary concept that prebiotics can enhance the fitness of health-associated members of the oral microbiome (probiotics) that have an outsized role in establishing and stabilizing microbial communities compatible with oral health. Here, we propose to expand the existing knowledge by determining the ability of the prebiotic candidate N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) to modulate microbial diversity and biofilm metabolism by boosting anti-caries pathways (ADS, H2O2, proteases and other uncharacterized pathways) expressed by a carefully curated collection of low-passage health- associated oral streptococci against S. mutans and C. albicans in complex polymicrobial communities. The ultimate goal of this application is to generate translatable knowledge using prebiotics in concert with specific probiotic isolates to direct the microbial metabolism in favor of microbial homeostasis to improve oral health. To accomplish this, in Specific Aim 1, we will determine the ability of GlcNAc to boost metabolic pathways that are associated with health in low-passage commensal oral streptococci and interfere with the deployment of antagonistic molecules by the synergistic species S. mutans and C. albicans, resulting in stable communities (sub-aim 1.1). We will also probe the ability of prebiotics to boost the anti-caries pathways of the beneficial streptococci and displace or interfere with already established dysbiotic cariogenic biofilms (sub-aim 1.2). Then, in Specific Aim 2, we will use a rat model of oral colonization and caries already established in the PIs' labs to test whether GlcNAc and beneficial streptococci can prevent colonization (caries prevention) of or displace S. mutans and C. albicans (caries control) in the dental biofilms. Collectively, our focus on GlcNAc and on naturally occurring GlcNAc-responsive human isolates with potent antagonistic activities against complex cariogenic biofilms addresses fundamental principles of the disease while creating opportunities for rapid translation of the findings to diminish the burden of dental caries using ecologically based tactics.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $623,879 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	1523 UNION RD RM 207	GAINESVILLE	FL	32611	ALACHUA	USA	Oral Diseases and Disorders Research	000	1	7/14/2026	NEW	$623,879
														Subtotal = $623,879

Grand Total All Awards = $623,879

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Ecological Approaches for Caries Prevention and Management

Award Number: R01DE035737

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL AND CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/09/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2031

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